It's that time of year again – our lovely project developer Harriet has returned from her three-month stint in the lush forests of Uganda - leading volunteers to see the critically endangered mountain gorillas!
By all accounts, it was another successful stint out in Kisoro with plentiful gorilla sightings, excellent conservation work and community development (including at the Kisoro Demonstration School), and even a leopard sighting in Queen Elizabeth National Park! Harriet herself said her highlights were seeing the shongi and kahungi groups of endangered mountain gorillas once again, spotting a group of spotted hyenas in very close range at Queen Elizabeth National Park, and for the second year in a row, handing over the sponsorship money to the Kisoro Demonstration School.
This sponsorship money is shared equally among the students at the most risk of having to leave the school due to lack of funding so that they are given the chance to continue their education in a specialised environment, sensitive to their individual needs. Here at The Great Projects, we are thrilled to offer this continued support to the pupils at the school and know that this donation will go a long way towards making a real difference in the lives of the school's pupils.
As Harriet herself puts it, "It was great to see the children which we sponsored last year and see how well they are doing at Kisoro Demo. Their lifestyles are constantly improving due to this sponsorship, and it is great to know that we will be able to carry more children through their education with this sponsorship again".
Have a look at a selection of Harriet's fantastic photos below of the three gorilla trips – it certainly gives us travel envy here in the London office!
If you would like to join volunteer work with mountain gorillas under the guidance of Harriet during 2015, then please don't hesitate to get in contact with us via email ([email protected]) or telephone (+44(0)208 885 4987). This really is a one of a kind experience and volunteers continue to be enthralled by both the project and by Harriet. As volunteer Tim Spooner says –
"The Gorilla tours were brilliant in terms of organisation and content, and the real key to this trip for me was the attention to detail and commitment of Harriet.
She is so knowledgeable with all aspects of primate conservation and the projects taking place on the ground and she kept us amused most of the time with her mad stories and great humour. She really is one of a kind!"
